Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has flown to Florida to have dinner with President-elect Donald Trump after Trump’s threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products.

Joining Trump and Trudeau at the dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick to be his national security adviser, and the three men’s wives, according to a person who familiar with the dinner plans was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity.

Also at the dinner, the person said, were David McCormick, a newly elected U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, and his wife Dina Powell, a former deputy national security adviser under Trump, as well as Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Katie Telford, Trudeau’s boss. of personnel.

Trump threatens tariffs

Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico if the countries do not stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across the southern and northern borders.

Trump threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the US from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders.

He made the tariff threat on Monday while battling an influx of illegal migrants, though the numbers at the Canadian border pale in comparison to the southern border.

The US Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone – and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024.

Trump also raised the alarm about fentanyl from Mexico and Canada, although seizures from the Canadian border are few compared to the Mexican border. U.S. Customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared to 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border.

FILE – US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a meeting at Winfield House, London on December 3, 2019. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

Trudeau responds to Trump

Trudeau said earlier Friday that he would resolve the tariff issue by talking to Trump.

“We will work together to address some of the concerns,” Trudeau told reporters on Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. “But at the end of the day, it’s through lots of really constructive conversations with President Trump that I’m going to have, that’s going to keep us moving forward on the right track for all Canadians.”

Trudeau said Trump was elected because he promised to lower the cost of groceries but now he’s talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of produce including Prince Edward Island potatoes.

“It’s important to understand that when Donald Trump makes these kinds of statements, he plans to carry them out. There’s no doubt about that,” Trudeau said.

“Our responsibility is to point out that not only would he hurt Canadians, who work so well with the United States, but he would actually raise prices for American citizens and hurt American industry and business,” he added.

These tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted that they succeeded in renegotiating the deal, which he calls a “win win” for both countries.

“We can work together like we did before,” Trudeau said.

Canada can impose its own tariffs

Canada is already looking into possible retaliatory tariffs on some items from the United States if Trump were to follow through on his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on Canadian products, a senior official told The Associated Press this week.

A government official said Canada is preparing for every eventuality and has begun considering which items to target with tariffs in retaliation. The official emphasized that no decision has been made. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Canada is the number one export destination for 36 US states. Almost $3.6 billion in Canadian goods and services worth $2.7 billion cross the border every day.

About 60% of US crude oil imports come from Canada and 85% of US electricity imports come from Canada.

Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the United States and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is interested in and investing in for national security.

Canada is one of the most trade dependent countries in the world and 77% of Canada’s exports go to the United States